Talk:Dai Mother
In First Journeys there is a scene that mention the Hi clan having two Dai mothers. Could that be as a result of a very rare case where a clan joins a larger one while still having a Dai mother? Alternatively, it could be that there are two ships that externally appear to be Dai mothers, but only one still has a living heart. Knight Ranger (talk) 10:22, January 20, 2019 (UTC) Dai Mothers are unique and can only be built by the Pale Ones . If a new Tribe emerges it receives a Dai Mother . The mothers are much more than just spaceships, they connect the tribe to all Dai. The core component is a biological "heart" (created by the Gardeners of Space ) with psionic abilities. It is connected to the heart of Thana Shoo . Tribe / Clan wars do happen and the loser might be absorbed into the tribe of the winner. Tribe wars, if fought openly and in space are Than and therefore permitted. Also, Dai tribe leaders might choose to join a larger tribe, because of their inability to gather enough supplies to feed the tribe. Tar Bas-Co , for example, was the Tar of a big clan, but an engagement with the first Fleet made him retreat with a damaged mother. He joined the Hi tribe. The Hi tribe has two big mothers and a number of smaller ones. The Hi tribe is one of the oldest tribes and in its long history, other tribes joined or lost a war against the Hi. Honorable (Than) Dai do not like to attack, damage or destroy Mothers. The very recent fight of the Hi tribe against the Ku tribe was fought by a dishonorable Tar, who was killed by one of his own chieftains with the Okthi-Karr on the bridge of a Battleship. The Ku tribe still has their mother(s) and they might either elect a new Kar or decide to join the Hi tribe. There is always just one Tribe mother if another Dai Mother is added to a bigger clan, it loses its mother status and its heart is joined with the core mother. ( It is a sacred ritual performed by the Eldest of a Tribe who also act as tenders and guardians of the tribe's heart) Side Note: The Ku Clan does not join the Hi tribe, their new Tar decides to join the Union. Authors Note: This recent book/novel only existed as a handwritten story (1993). Much has changed and developed in my Universe since. I am adding much detail to the Hi culture that has not been described or considered in detail before. I am trying to tie in existing lore and canon, but I might accidentally overlook some details. The role and origin of Dai mothers, however, is a complex one and has its outline since I conceived the Dai. On a personal note, it delights me to greatest joy seeing your Talk points in the Wiki, tells me that you are still there and follow things. I love answering your questions because they make me think in detail about the issues you raise. Thank you Vanessa Ravencroft (talk) 16:42, January 20, 2019 (UTC) Let me see if I completely understand. Each tribe or clan has only one Dai Mother, with a biological phionic "heart" as a distintive feature. The Dai mothers of tribes that have joined another one lose their status of Dai Mother during a (private) cerimony that marks the joining of two tribes when the heart of the Dai Mother of the smaller tribe is joined to the heart in the center of the Dai Mother of the core tribe. Even though they technically lose the status of Dai Mother after that ceremony, the former Dai Mothers are still commonly called Mothers refering to their previous status. They keep all the functions of a Dai Mother with exception to the connection via a heart to the heart of Thana Shoo. Knight Ranger (talk) 03:47, January 21, 2019 (UTC) Yes you got it. A Dai Clan may have many 'Mothers' (very large ships that used to be the Nexus/ core of a Dai Tribe) but their hearts are removed. They still call them 'Mothers' but each Tribe has only one Tribe mother. In the case of the Hi it is the Exer-Hi The Process A Dai becomes Than A young man is recognized as man and warrior by his peer, after reaching maturity and completes a coming of age rite. A Dai Than becomes Tribe leader A Dai Than can become the leader of a tribe by a) being declared the successor b) Through a ritualized series of many fights declaring the current leader incompetent and fight each loyal Than. c) He gathers enough support, resources, peer support and the endorsement of five tribe leaders - the Pale Ones may declare him to be fit and able to have his own tribe. He receives a two-letter syllable, a Clan glyph, and a Dai Mother. If the tribe is successful and grows he might request a larger Dai Mother (the heart is transferred) The small original one is returned to the pool and assigned to a new clan leader. It is a rare occasion and usually done during Thana Shoo days Vanessa Ravencroft (talk) 15:35, January 21, 2019 (UTC)